“What may be done at any time will be done at no time.” — Scottish Proverb

Okay, don’t ask what the Jewish grandmother from New York is doing with a Scottish proverb. My chief strategist found it for me, and it fit the tone of my message today.

In my time counseling clients, I have found that the two biggest obstacles to a good PR campaign are the two Ps: Procrastination and Perfection. Too many times, companies will procrastinate in getting their campaign started, and tag their campaign launch to something artificial like a product launch (which isn’t news, unless it’s the iPhone 4) or a new initiative. By and large, the media could care less. Your message, combined with something that is hot in the news cycle, is your hook, and if you’re doing it right, waiting is not an option. The second element, perfection, is something that drives many companies to delay their campaign. Executives will debate messages and news angles to the point of diminished return, and wind up unnecessarily delaying their PR campaigns.

My point is simply this: you need to start now. Not next week, not next month. Now.

After all, isn’t that when you want your potential customers to act? Many consumer businesses have taken to using the “right now” message in their advertising. A leading brake service provider uses the “now” message in their radio ads, stressing that waiting to take care of a potential brake problem could cause more costly damage to your car’s brake system. Empire, a leading manufacturer and provider of flooring and carpet solutions for consumers, has even changed the name of its company to Empire Today. Their point is that waiting for the “bargain” will cost their customers more money in the long run.

So, if you want your potential customers to act today, that’s exactly when you need to start your PR campaign. Getting ready to get ready never got anyone any additional business. What’s more, the dog days of summer will soon give way to the busy days of Q4, and if you want to have a chance at making an impression during the busiest time of the year, you HAVE to start now.

Here’s why:

The Holidays — Yes, I know that when it’s 90 degrees outside, it seems like a weird time to be thinking of the holiday season, but the media doesn’t think in those terms. Media folks like to take time off for the holidays as well, which means they have to start working on their holiday coverage early. Long lead publications are already working on their October and November issues, and if you want to be included, you need to start communicating with them now. Moreover, short leads start working on their holiday gift guides and reviews in August and September. If you have a consumer product or service that is compatible with the holiday season, this is when you need to start communicating with the media to promote it.

Authors — If your book is a fall release, you’ll be competing with a hundred thousand other authors for the attention of book buyers. If you want your book to rise like cream to the top, you need to make sure that as soon as your book becomes available, you will be on the air and in the news to talk about it. Furthermore, the holiday market beckons for you, as well. The summer reading season is over, so you need to focus on your book as a holiday gift.

Revenue — If you’re like most businesses, the year is going by faster than you’d like, and you are behind on your revenues – either falling short of your projections for 2010, or compared to how you did last year. Either way, the only way to increase the inflow of business is to increase the outflow of marketing. There is no better value in marketing than PR, so why let your campaign languish as your revenues stagnate? If you’re going to have any hope of picking up the pace, PR is your best friend.

At the end of the day, the old Scottish proverb rings true. If you’re comfortable putting off your PR campaign until tomorrow or next week or the week after, what guarantee do you have that you’ll ever launch it? Start today, right now, and you’ll be surprised how fast your campaign can be up and running.

You may have heard me say this over and over – but it’s a fact: Talk radio is a great avenue for getting your message in front of a wide audience. With such an abundance of shows airing on terrestrial stations, online stations and satellite radio, and covering such a wide range of topics, you’re sure to find many that will be a good match for your message.

So how do you get on the air? Here are six tips designed to get you talking:

1. Tie Your Message to Current Hot News. You’ve heard me say this before as well – but it’s the foundation for any good publicity campaign: First and foremost, you need to follow the news. What are people talking about? What is the media saying? What’s the buzz? Keeping up with the news is important because talk radio is all about current events. When you know what’s current, you can package your message to fit the news…making you an attractive guest for a talk show. Your job is to scan the network and cable news channels, the newspapers, look at news websites, and, most importantly, monitor the talk radio landscape. As you follow the hottest stories in the news, think of ways you can relate your product or service to them. Look for controversy or big names, big money or even relationship issues…these are always tantalizing topics for talk show hosts (and their listeners).
2. Never Pitch Yourself or Your Product. The pitch letter to radio hosts and producers should focus on the issue about which you are an expert, or the problem which your product addresses. Radio hosts are interested in what you can do to inform and entertain their listeners, not what the host can do for you. Your credibility and expertise in your field is important, but it’s secondary to the topic you’ll be discussing. Pitch the segment, not yourself, and you’ll be on the same page as the host.
3. Write a Kick-Ass Pitch. The quality of your pitch will have everything to do with your success in getting booked as a talk radio guest. You want to make sure your headline is enticing – it’s got to grab the media’s attention. The text of your release should elaborate on the subject matter and what the “on-air” conversation will be about. It’s always good to include 5 to 10 questions you’d like the host to ask you and a short, but impressive bio.
4. Find Contact Info for Shows. These days most stations have websites listing all their shows. Look for a “Contact Us” page – in many cases the email address and phone number for the show producers will be right on that page. If that doesn’t produce results, find the station’s phone number on their website and call them, explaining that you would like to contact the show’s producer to suggest a segment. Ask them for his email address and the best phone number for following up – they will give this to you since this is how producers find guests and content for shows.
5. Personalize and Send Your Pitch. Do not send your pitch as an attachment to your email message – copy the pitch right into the body of the email instead. At the top, add a very brief note to the producer or host (sometimes they are one and the same) to introduce your pitch. Your introduction should tell the producer why you think your topic would be a great fit for his show or why you think his audience would be interested in what you have to say. The producer is far more likely to respond favorably to your proposal when he can readily see that you’ve done your homework.
6. Follow Up After You Send Your Pitch. After you email your pitch, call the producer to ask if he received it, or has any questions. If you get him on the phone, this is your opportunity to expand on your pitch and really sell him on what a great show it would be and how much it would interest his audience.

I know I’ve given you a lot to chew on, but if you truly do each of these steps it will get you and your message on the air!

And How to Make Sure They Invite You Back

Successful non-fiction authors know a secret.

They know that when it comes to achieving success with a book, it’s not just about literary talent, or even the cleverness of the topic or message. They know that – unlike the movie Field of Dreams, where all Kevin Costner had to do was build a baseball diamond and the fans magically would come – just getting a book published does not guarantee anyone will hear about it, let alone buy it.

What they know is that getting interviewed on talk radio shows is one of the best ways to become known and get their message heard by a wide audience. In fact, talk radio is more popular than ever, and with the increases in specialty programming that cover a wide gamut of topics, there is more opportunity than ever to become a talk show guest!

And let’s face it, what better way is there to:

• Kick off a coast-to-coast publicity campaign in less than three weeks
• Create promotional “buzz” for your book at the grassroots level
• Reach America’s greatest cities – Boston to LA – from the comfort and convenience of your own home
• Talk directly to your target markets

Sounds great, but how do you make this happen?  How do you get a talk show host to invite you to be a guest?  Having arranged talk show interviews for clients for twenty years, I know the precise formula for successfully hitting the talk radio circuit, so let me share some tips with you.

1.  Stay Current

First off, you need to follow the news. What are people talking about? What is the media saying? What’s the buzz? This is important because talk radio is all about current events. Current events in politics, business, the economy, sports, weather, health, culture. And when you know what’s current, you can package your message to fit the news, making you an attractive guest for a talk show. You need to scan the network and cable news channels, the newspapers, look at news Web sites, and, most importantly, monitor the talk radio landscape. Take time to listen to a few local and national talk shows, and get a feel for what the public is talking about.

2.  Tie-Ins to the News

A critical step is “packaging” your message. As you follow the hottest stories in the news, think of ways you can tie the message of your book into them.  Look for controversy or big names, big money, health, or even relationship issues.  These are always tantalizing topics for many talk show hosts and their listeners.  I’ll give you an example, because this step is a hard one for many people.  I had a client who’d written a book about the causes of bad breath. Yes, bad breath.  With a little help, that client became a popular guest on radio and TV talk shows about dating, first impressions (like job interviews), holiday menus and entertaining…you get the picture.

3.  Pitch Your Topic, Not Your Book

As you develop your message, keep in mind that radio hosts are interested in what you can do for their listeners, not what they can do for you.  They want an interview, not an infomercial for your book. So, when pitching to hosts and producers, put the emphasis on the issue you want to talk about on the air, rather than on your book. The fact that you’ve authored a book gives you credibility “currency,” so spend it wisely when pitching your cause. And when you’re on the air, there will be plenty of opportunity to plug your book during the interview.

4.  The Right Press Release Formula

Nothing is more important than the press release itself – it’s your key to the media’s door.  The quality of your press release has everything to do with getting booked as a talk show guest.  You want to make sure your headline is enticing – it’s got to grab the media’s attention. The text of your release should elaborate on the subject matter and what the “on-air” conversation will be about.  It’s always good to include a couple of juicy or provocative quotes.  Also include a short, but impressive bio, and 5 to 10 questions you’d like the host to ask you.

5.  Be Prepared For Your Interview

Before you go on the air, make a list of all the questions you think your host might ask.  Come up with the answers you want to give on the air and then…practice!  Enlist the aid of a friend to help you prepare, and ask that person to play the part of the host, while you answer the various questions.  The more time you spend doing this step, the more comfortable you will be during the actual interview.  And very important: don’t read your answers! Just talk to your “host” like you would talk during a meeting with a business associate.

6.  Be Relaxed, Friendly and Informative On the Air

Even if the host asks a tricky question – stay calm! Make sure your responses are thoughtful, insightful and entertaining. And above all, your comments should highlight your expertise on the show’s topic. You’re on the show because you have positioned yourself as the “go-to” person on the subject, so share your expertise with the host and his audience. Don’t answer each of your host’s questions with a plug for your book, but you do want to find (or create) a few openings where you can segue into the fact that “…your book addresses that very issue, etc.”

7.  Make the Host Look Good!

Make every effort to make your host look good, and thank him for having you on the show!  Don’t forget that it really is the host’s show…it’s his livelihood, his career, and will continue to be long after your 20 minutes are up. The interest and approval of the audience are very important to every talk show host – he’s there to inform and entertain.  So help him do well, and in most cases he will help you shine also…and be interested in having you back on the air.

I know I’ve given you a lot to chew on, but if you truly do each of these steps it can be a rocket ride to success.